材料系统的未来：多极世界中的合作机遇

W H I T EP A P E RM A R C H2 0 2 6 Contents ForewordExecutive summary1 Rising pressures on global materials systems1.1 Materials systems are under strain1.2 Cooperation on materials rises to top of business agendas2 Adapting cooperation approaches to a multipolar world3 Circular economy as a systemic approach4 Priority areas for international cooperation4.1 Data transparency and traceability4.2 International standards4.3 Trade and market cooperationConclusionAppendix: MethodologyContributorsAcknowledgementsEndnotes346681215171922252930313133 Disclaimer This document is published by theWorld Economic Forum as a contributionto a project, insight area or interaction.The findings, interpretations andconclusions expressed herein are a resultof a collaborative process facilitated andendorsed by the World Economic Forumbut whose results do not necessarilyrepresent the views of the World EconomicForum, nor the entirety of its Members,Partners or other stakeholders. ©2026 World Economic Forum. All rightsreserved. No part of this publication maybe reproduced or transmitted in any formor by any means, including photocopyingand recording, or by any informationstorage and retrieval system. Foreword Sho Nakamura Director for Promotionof Circular Society,Environmental Regenerationand Material Cycles Bureau,Ministry of the Environment,Japan Fernando GomezHead, Future ofMaterials, Centre forEnergy and Materials,World Economic Forum This report is released at a moment of profoundglobal reordering. Geostrategic realignment, rapidtechnological change and environmental pressuresare placing growing strain on the materials systemsthat underpin societal transformations suchas the deployment of clean energy and digitaltechnologies. Against this backdrop, the report is structuredaround three core elements for progress. First,it highlights the need to adapt internationalcollaboration approaches to a multipolar context,combining agile, interest-based coalitions withstronger intergovernmental coordination to ensurecoherence and scale. Second, it reinforces theimportance of considering complete materiallifecycles, often discussed as the circular economy.Third, it argues for prioritizing three cross-cuttingareas where further cooperation can deliver tangibleoutcomes: data transparency and traceability,international standards, and modernized trade andmarket cooperation. While the resilience, productivity and sustainabilityof materials systems can be modified by manylevers – including domestic policy reform,corporate innovation and technological change –international cooperation is an important enabler,given the deeply interconnected nature of globalsupply chains. The insights in this white paper were derivedthrough a series of expert consultations, interviews,workshops and a survey of 150 global businessleaders across six regions, 12 countries and 15different industries. In sharing these insights, wehope this report provides leaders with a clearand pragmatic guide for strengthening materialssystems and ensuring that international cooperationremains a vital driver of resilience, sustainability andshared prosperity. Over 90% of global business leaders surveyedfor this report identify stronger internationalcooperation on materials as critical to theirorganizations’ long-term success. At the sametime, established multilateral mechanisms facemounting constraints, strengthening the needfor more adaptive, interest-based and results-orientated approaches to cooperation. Executive summary In a multipolar world, agile interest-basedcooperation will be decisive in shapingresilient, productive and sustainablematerials systems. In the coming technological transformations, thereal bottleneck is not innovation but materials.Production of electric vehicles, wind turbines,copper cables, batteries, data centres and roboticsystems depends upon reliable and affordableaccess to a wide range of materials, such as steel,cement, copper, semiconductors, and rare andprecious metals. and interdependent systems is now beingchallenged. Factors such as rising dependenceon concentrated sources of supply, geopoliticalvolatility and environmental pressures are amplifyingrisks, while a weakened multilateral system limitscollective capacity to address them. Mitigating the risks to materials systems is thereforeof increasing strategic importance for firms. Of 150global business leaders surveyed for this report,nine out of 10 identified stronger internationalcooperation on materials as important or veryimportant for their organization’s long-term success(see Figure 1). Over time, global materials systems have evolvedin complex ways, so that today, the extraction,processing, manufacturing, use and recoveryof materials spans multiple countries and oftencontinents. The resilience of these complex Growing need for internationalcooperation on materials Pillars for strengthened cooperation Technologies and industries depend on resilientand affordable access